1UP's Favorite Games of 2012: Journey

A transcendent adventure and one of the defining experiences of this generation.

Video
games can be many things to many people, so the idea of proclaiming a
single one as the best of 2012 strikes us as a little limiting. This
year, instead of screaming at each other for hours in a sweaty,
smoke-filled room until we emerge with a handful of winners, your
friends at 1UP have decided to forsake categorization and write about the
experiences that brought us the most enjoyment this year
-- and that's the point of playing video games, isn't it?

Marty:Journey is my favorite thing of 2012. Notice that I refrained from saying game, because honestly, to just limit my enjoyment of thatgamecompany's masterpiece to our medium would be doing it a disservice. More than any other film, album or novel, Journey displayed the power that a specific piece of art can have over our lives. Its mechanics, aesthetics, and message all worked as one to deliver an experience that want to continually want to absorb time and time again. Just a word of warning: as if it weren't already obvious, this write up is going to be rife with what may seem like hyperbole. But just note that I'm not trying to bolster my opinion or make bold, outrageous claims -- I really am this infatuated with everything about Journey.

1UP's reviewed the game, reviewed the collector's edition, and written a fantastic cover story on the various prototypes that preceded what we we eventually played this past spring, but still, that's not enough. There isn't enough bandwidth to properly express just how fantastic the various aspects of Journey are. Its stunning visuals create a world that is both familiar and fantastic, and they truly speak for themselves. And then there's Austin Wintory's Grammy nominated score, a phenomenal suite of music that becomes synonymous with the entire gameplay experience. But one aspect of Journey that tends to be overlooked is the way in which is brings strangers together. On any given playthrough, you may or may not share your experiences with a unknown traveler you meet along the way. And in that lies one of the game's most revolutionary and cohesive elements.

Growing up in the '90s when multiplayer was synonymous with four buddies sitting on a couch, I've never quite been able to embrace the idea of playing a game online with complete strangers. Faceless opponents can't quite capture the same sense of community for me. But that very anonymity is built into the core of Journey's multiplayer experience, and it helps annunciate the themes in a way that few social components have ever been able to accomplish. thatgamecompany purposely abstains from giving the player a concrete story with solidified objectives that can be glanced at via a cumbersome menu. Throughout the course of Journey, the player is in a constant state of mystery that can be partially unraveled by sifting through the sands and theorizing on your own, but the fact remains that there are many questions that simply lack answers. In such, not knowing the identity of your companion(s) only builds upon this enigmatic sensation.

While playing through the game for my third time, but first for my girlfriend, we quickly picked up a fellow traveler. I knew the ins and outs of the world pretty well by then, but refrained from spoiling anything from her. But lo and behold, this mysterious companion befriended her, and led her to numerous secret alcoves and scarf enhancements. They helped one another without ever uttering a syllable -- their form of communication was built about a common agreement revolving around the intensity of their chirps. Eventually this traveler pressed on ahead, perhaps to finish the game, or maybe to find another player in need of assistance.

This sense of community and gamer welfare left me a bit confused; playing games like Call of Duty online left me wondering why anyone would go out of their way to help a stranger when there's absolutely nothing to be gained from it? After trying to understand why someone would do this, I settled on the optimistic answer that this stranger just genuinely wanted to help and make our experience a memorable one. And honestly, I don't think my hypothesis is all that unreasonable. If Journey brings out the best in gamers, then its importance reaches far beyond a handful of year end awards.

The unique multiplayer works wonderfully to enhance the story, which is simultaneously classic and nontraditional. The narrative isn't so much "this happened, followed by this, then finally this," but rather a series of emotions the player feels during their time with the game. The awe of cresting your first ridge and seeing the mountain looming in the distance. The exhilaration of gaining momentum as you slide downhill, culminating in your dazzling silhouette against a golden roar of a sunset. The fear that takes hold when you realize that there are ancient things in the world that mean to hurt you. The melancholy of losing a partner, the despair of failure, and the joyous triumph of rebirth. To me, it's the interconnected nature of these emotions that are what Journey is truly about. If I had to summarize its plot to someone, all I could say is that the end is the beginning is the end.

Journey left me in a state of awe that I hadn't felt in nearly six years. Not since a cold night in November of 2006, when I walked out of a theater in Milwaukee just having finished a screening of Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, has an artistic experience resonated so deeply with me. I paid no attention to the biting winds that whipped at my face, or at the fact that I had to turn a review around that very night to meet a deadline. Despite the fact that I was walking back to my apartment, I had never really left that seat. The work had grabbed a tight hold of me, and no matter how far away from the theater I walked, it still felt as if I were sitting in the dark with my eyes transfixed on the moving images.

The morning after I finished Journey, I walked into the office in one of those pleasant hazes that follows something distinctly meaningful. I told my fellow editors that I'd completed the game in one sitting the night before, and when they asked me what I thought, I paused; I wasn't sure what to say. Then, I simply said what I knew to be fact. I told them that Journey would be my personal favorite game of 2012, and quite possibly my favorite of the entire generation. 10 months and hundreds of things later, and I still feel like I'm in that haze I felt on the morning after I finished Journey, and honestly, I hope it never goes away.

"We are honored to be recognized as one of 1UP's Favorite Games of 2012. With Journey, we wanted to re-imagine what online games could be. And even though we were not sure the experiment would be successful, our commitment was unwavering. When we hear from players about the moments of genuine human connection, awe and wonder they have experienced as a result of travelling in Journey, we are simply blown away. It is exactly as we had hoped... a dream come true." -- Robin Hunicke, producer on Journey.

I wish

I really wish I could agree about Journey. I am an enormous fan of Flower, so when Journey was announced I was psyched, I couldn't wait. I bought Journey the day of release, 20 minutes later I had beaten Journey. The most dissapointing 15 dollars of my LIFE. While I agree the art, design and even gameplay of Journey was great, I've played demos that lasted longer. I really can't properly express how dissapointed I was in Journey, but it saddensme that the gaming community had no complaints that 15 dollars bought roughly 30 minutes of entertainment if you took your time.

Huh...

Not a damn clue how you beat that game in 20 minutes when the snow portion takes that amount of time at least. And while I'm not sure how anyone could hate on such a perfect game (length does not make a game better or worse), I can at least accept your point of view better than most, seeing as how I still think The Godfather is a terrible movie.

Great Article

I have to say, this is the best writeup for Journey I've seen in any "Game of the Year" discussions so far. Most of what I've seen focuses mostly on the Music and Art Direction, which are both fantastic but aren't alone why this game is my favorite of the year. There are plenty of games with fantastic soundtracks and beautiful environments, but Journey tied it all together so well with it's gameplay and your description of the multiplayer just absolutely nailed my feelings on it. I've never been sadder playing a videogame then my first time playing Journey when the partner I had been going through the game with for the first 4 levels stopped playing, and I've never been happier then I was 10 minutes later meeting up with another companion and not having to go through everything alone anymore.